The Masked Bridal

his companion with un

t the money?" he inquired, a

justified in asking the question, and I trust you will not regard me as impertinently i

les replied, but flushing painfu

e the name of the perso

re embarrassed than before,

gold-piece before him where the light struck full upon it, "you perceive this coin is marked," and he po

e!" exclaimed his co

s in my possession as late as fiv

d," said Mr. Knowle

with it and scratched it, as you see, with the point of my penknife; then I gave it to Miss Allandale, and thought no more about the matter. But just before you came in this morning, I received a note from her saying she had been

"It appears all the more so to me from the fact that I also received th

it may help to solve this very perplexing mystery, for I am confident that th

antel clock, which was one of my wife's wedding gifts. In other words, I pawned it. It goes against my pride to confess it; but the idea of debt is horrible to me: and, having been in very straitened circ

t. "I would not have had you so pressed for a great deal; my claim against you can wait indefinitely, and you need feel no anxiety

" said Mr. Knowles,

at once and redeem your wife's clock. I am also going to throw a little business in your way, for I would like to retain you as a witness fo

, No. -- Th

not over-scrupulous person. I fought a

still looked gr

Mr. Knowles' clock, before seven o'clock on Saturday evening, when Edith Allandale had been arrest

med an inexpl

the identical piece of money which he had paid to his beautiful but unfortunate copyist

s to how and from whom you received the money?" he in

ause," he readily replied. "And," he added, "I can easily prove the truth of m

as a witness," he added, as he pressed a ten-dollar note into his companion's hand. "This will be sufficient to redeem your clock and remunerate you for the time you may lose in appearing as

th evident emotion. "I cannot tell you how your generosity t

ted young lawyer. "Now I must be off," he added, "and I would like you to meet me at the Thirtieth street s

his office, and, five minutes later, was on his

tepped into a bank near-by

d if Edith had been arrested for passing it, some one would have

ucted him directly to the room occupied by Edith, who looked so pale and wan from anxiety and confinement that the young man's c

Allandale," he exclaimed, as he clasped her cold hand and

ushing for an instant beneath his ardent gaze, while her lips quivered w

n, eagerly. "I am filled with remorse when I think what you must have suffered and

ave known that the money was co

returned. "It is a genuine

persons that it was spurious," Ed

I have had it tested at a bank, and it has b

grocer who caused me to be arrested has the money in his pos

he half-eagle which he had received fr

e that I gave you on Saturday even

cer? Did you get it fr

to me, about half an hour ago, in pa

not be the same," said Edit

at it closely, and you will find some fres

young gir

, excepting some large bills, and I was obliged to give it to you, even though I knew it was not a convenient form-one is so liable to lose such a small piece. I am sure I do not know what posse

you were using your knife upon it; but how could it have come into the possession of your client? Sur

ned it from a pawnbroker at No. --

fair brow, and, like a flash, Royal Bryant c

uld only advance me three dollars upon it. Of course I felt that I must redeem it with the very first money I earned, and I went immediately to the pawnbroker's to get it on leaving your office. He seemed averse to the early redem

is drawer, did he?" interposed Mr. Bryant,

er companion's heart ache for her. "Mamma suggested that the money might not be bad, after all," she continued, determined that he should know the whole truth about the matter; "that, possibly, the pawnbroker had taken that way to retain the watch, with the hope of ultimately securing it; so I started out to make my purchases. The grocer made no

s a heartless thing to do. But, my little friend, I think we

h began, then stopped, choking back a sob th

etended to return to you was not the same that you had received from me-it was a spurious one which he had at hand for the express purpose evide